Funding for Alternative Placement Services has been cut from Mayor Fischer's budget

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Updated: 7:36 PM EDT Jun 13, 2017

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WEBVTT JULITHE MAYOR CUT THE PROGRAMTO SAVE $600,000.BY COURT ORDER.THE JUDGE MAKES THE DECISION.HE SAYS MOST OF THE YOUTH ARE INCOURT BECAUSE OF A DANGEROUSHOME LIFE.>> MANY TIMES PROBABLY NOTINSTIGATED BY THE CHILD BUTINSTEAD BY DRUG ADDICTED ORINTOXICATED PARENT WHOSE ACTIONSCAUSED THE CHILD TO REACT ANDTHE CHILD'S REACTION MIGHT NOTHAVE BEEN THE BEST JUDGEMENT,BUT AGAIN THEY ARE JUVENILES. FUNDING FOR APS HAS BEEN CUTFROM THE MAYOR'S NEW BUDGET, ANDAS OF NOW, WILL NOT BE STAFFEDBEGINNING AT 5:00 FRIDAYEVENING.THAT MEANS JUDGE HOLTON WILL NOLONGER HAVE WHAT HE CONSIDERS ASAFE PLACE TO SEND KIDS WHO NEEDHELP BUT NOT JAIL.>> THESE KIDS DESERVE THEOPPORTUNITY TO BE SAFE WITHOUTBEING LOCKED UP. REPORTER: THE DIRECTOR OF METROYOUTH DETENTION SERVICES AGREESWITH THE MAYOR'S DECISION TO CUTAPS.SHE SAYS THE NUMBER OF KIDSUSING THE SERVICE DAILY HASDECLINED FROM AN AVERAGE OF NINECHILDREN A DAY IN 2014FIVE IN 2016, AND THREE A DAYTHIS YEAR.AND SAYS SINCE THEY FOLLOWFEDERAL GUIDELINES, THEY ALWAYSHAVE TO HAVE THE PROGRAMSTAFFED.>> WHETHER THERE'S ZERO KIDS ATTHE TIME OR ONE OR TWO KIDS WESTILL HAVE TO HAVE STAFF HERE24-HOURS A DAY OVER 3 SHIFTS. >> I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT GUESSWHAT, IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT THEALMIGHTY DOLLAR ALL THE TIME.IT SHOULD BE ABOUT WHAT'S BESTFOR KIDS SOMETIMES AND WESHOULDN'T BALANCE THE CITY'SBUDGET ON THE BACKS OF THESEKIDS WHO ALREADY HAVE BAD ENOUGHSITUATIONS AT HOME. REPORTER: JUDGE HOLTON IS OPENTO WORKING ON A PLAN TO SENDKIDS TO YMCA'S SAFE-PLACE AS ANALTERNATIVE TO APS BUT SAYSTHERE WILL BE TRANSPORTATIONISSUES.AS FOR THE DIRECTOR OF YOUTHDETENTION SERVICES, SHE WANTS TOSEE THE SPACE CURRENTLY USED FORAPS BE TURNED INTO A RE-ENTRYPROGRAM FOR TEENS WHO ARE IN THEDETENTION CENTERFUNDING ENDS BUT APS STAFF WILLJULY 1.BE TRAINING FOR NEW JOBS NEXT

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Louisville judge upset youth program could be dismantled

Funding for Alternative Placement Services has been cut from Mayor Fischer's budget

As part of Mayor Fischer's newest budget, funding will be cut to Alternative Placement Services, or APS, at Louisville Metro Youth Detention Services.

APS is a 12 bed facility providing a 24-hour emergency shelter for youths. The kids are sent to APS by court order.

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WLKY- Carolyn Callahan

Two of the bedrooms used for the Alternative Placement Services program.

Judge David Holton is the person who makes the decision to send youth to APS. He said most of the youth are in court because of a dangerous home life.

"Many times probably not instigated by the child but instead by a drug addicted or intoxicated parent whose actions caused the child to react and the child's reaction might not have been the best judgement, but again, they are juveniles," Judge Holton said.

Funding for APS will end July 1 and is expected to save $600,000.

Judge Holton said with APS gone, he would no longer have what he considers a safe place to send kids who need help, but not jail.

"These kids deserve the opportunity to be safe without being locked up," Holton said.

He said if APS is gone, he will have even tougher decisions to make.

"Which is worse? To detain them or to send them home to what may be a dangerous situation," Holton said.

She said the number of kids using the service daily declined from an average of nine children a day in 2014 to seven in 2015, five in 2016, and an average of three a day in 2017.

"Whether there's zero kids at the time or one or two kids, we still have to have staff here 24-hours a day over three shifts," Mullins said.

"I understand that, but guess what? It's not all about the almighty dollar all the time. It should be about what's best for kids sometimes and we shouldn't balance the city's budget on the backs of these kids who already have bad enough situations at home," Holton said.

Judge Holton is open to trying to work out an agreement with YMCA Safe Place Services to take the children he would normally send to APS, but he said transportation to Safe Place would be a problem.

"Safe Place won't come and get them and the youth center won't transport them," Holton said.

Mullins would like to turn the area now occupied by APS into a re-entry program for the children in the detention center.

"We would be able to keep this place full because these kids would be kids who are coming from secure detention, of which there's no shortage and we'll be able to invest that money," she said

"We have enough money in this city to find some way to put a program in place where these kids are not the ones whose lives are sacrificed," Holton said.

Right now, APS will no longer be staffed as of 5 p.m. on Friday, June 16. The current staff members will be trained for new positions at the youth detention center.